Chapter 35

Ye Yiwei had evidently noticed something. Taking advantage of the sound of an explosion, he asked quietly, "Don't you think Mr. Zhuo's movements are a little strange?"

Qiao Huan was right behind Zhuo Yang and couldn't speak, so he only nodded.

"What do we do, then?" Ye Yiwei asked.

Qiao Huan thought for a moment. "Follow me."

Then Qiao Huan began a series of subtle probing movements.

Whenever an explosion went off, he exerted a little force in that direction. With Ye Yiwei following his lead from behind, the two of them were forcing the dragon's head to move their way.

Zhuo Yang soon realized something was wrong.

What is A-Huan doing?

In truth, Zhuo Yang had seen plenty of firelight at this level before. There was no reason to fear it.

Yet he instinctively shielded his teammates, especially Qiao Huan, who was right behind him.

He didn't want there to be the slightest chance of A-Huan and the others getting hurt.

But Qiao Huan and Ye Yiwei's movements grew more forceful. Bai Jike wasn't stronger than his three older brothers to begin with, so he had no choice but to follow the two men in front.

Now Zhuo Yang found himself in a bind.

"Yes! Just like that!" Saylor shouted. "You need to get closer to the explosions for the light to reach you, so we can see your faces!"

He was ecstatic.

The hard work these young men had put in was plain to see. Not only had they danced with such a heavy Giant Dragon for so long without tiring, but their coordination even now was so exquisite!

He'd heard that the four of them hadn't rehearsed!

It wasn't as though Saylor had never filmed a boy group before. He'd shot countless boy group music videos from a certain country and thought he knew all about that kind of showmanship... but he'd never seen a group with an atmosphere like this!

All four were young men of the new era, so their English listening skills went without saying. Zhuo Yang in particular understood instantly when he heard Saylor mention the lighting.

So A-Huan was hinting that I should go where the light is!

Then he began trying just as hard to lead the other three toward the explosions.

But Qiao Huan and Ye Yiwei were trying to avoid the light...

And so everyone on set witnessed a scene that left them dumbstruck—

The giant dragon began to soar and circle around the set. Whenever its head approached an explosion, it would veer sharply away, as if suddenly startled, making it look all the more lifelike.

The dragon's chest and body followed close behind, turning away and using the scales on their backs to shield themselves from the light in the afterglow.

As for the dragon's tail... several times it just barely swept past the explosions, even making a "sweeping strike" with its tail, fully displaying the Giant Dragon's arrogance and its disdain for this childish sort of battle.

Saylor wasn't the only one watching in a daze. The uncles and aunties from the Folk Customs Association were just as entranced.

Seeing the entire dragon come vividly to life, as if it truly were on an interstellar battlefield, Uncle Yang hurriedly asked:

"Did you design this? Old Wang, you've really been hiding your talents!"

Elder Wang, who was in charge of the "Starlet Fire Dragon Dance" segment, scratched his head. "No..."

He swore he'd only explained the essentials of the dragon dance and the rough route to the four men. He hadn't mentioned anything else.

Besides, the Starlet Fire Dragon Dance was a very free-form activity to begin with. According to folk custom, firecrackers were originally lit from house to house, and all the "fire dragon" had to do was dodge them.

As for how to dodge and coordinate, that was entirely up to the four men's own ability and tacit understanding.

Uncle Yang was even more surprised. "Then isn't this dragon dancing far too nimbly? Those four really didn't practice?"

"Exactly! I'm stunned myself!" Elder Wang said. "The very best dragon dancing looks just like this. Every part is agile and beautiful, yet the whole thing moves as one! I'd say the future holds no limits for these four young men!"

Whether it was their reactions or their tacit understanding, all four were a little too outstanding!

Aunt Bao chimed in too:

"Never mind anything else, you should know that all four of them came here after filming the earlier parts! To still have this much stamina, they're all prodigies!"

"Ah, the other three have their faces hidden, so it's hard to see," Uncle Yang said, pointing. "Look at the youngest one at the dragon's tail. His face is red, and he can't stop sweating. He's clearly gritting his teeth and pushing through because he doesn't want to fall behind!"

"He's giving it everything," Elder Wang said with feeling. "I heard young entertainers nowadays are terrified of bleeding and sweating, but these four... tsk, they've got a bit of the drive we had when we practiced in our youth!"

While the uncles and aunties of the folklore troupe marveled, the executive director could no longer contain his excitement and sent Ren Rong some behind-the-scenes photos and videos from the set.

Ren Rong exclaimed over how amazing they were and hurriedly sent them to Jiang Ji. Without another word, he picked three pictures and uploaded them to OSOK-X's official Weibo account.

The first picture showed a moment from Qiao Huan and Ye Yiwei's performance.

The two were in full costume. It was the moment when the enemy attacked, forcing the two brothers, who had only just recognized each other, to part. The enemy general played by Ye Yiwei had no choice but to turn and leave, while Qiao Huan was naturally filled with countless feelings of reluctance.

Ye Yiwei leaped through the air, his movements expansive and commanding, while Qiao Huan merely reached out a hand, using the gesture in place of asking him to stay.

Comments flooded in instantly:

"Holy crap! What kind of heavenly moment is this? Ahhhh, the atmosphere is off the charts!"

"Ye Yiwei's posture is incredible! Now that's what it means to stand straight-backed, with proud bones sharp as a blade!"

"Qiao Huan's hand is so beautiful!!!"

"Can we please get some close-up photos of their faces right now? Why can't we ever see faces this gorgeous clearly? Wuwuwu."

The second picture showed Bai Jike and Zhuo Yang performing the Yingge Dance. Bai Jike gave a gentle lift, and Zhuo Yang leaped, turning completely sideways in the air.

In the promotional video, Bai Jike represented the children at the bottom of interstellar society, while Zhuo Yang was a lofty general untouched by the cares of the mortal world. The deeper meaning of the lift went without saying.

"These two are incredible!"

"The Little White Poplar brothers are the absolute best!"

"Xiao Bai looks so pure and innocent, while Zhuo Yang is so commanding and heroic. I'm totally in love with that contrast!"

The third picture had been taken during the four men's fire dragon dance.

All four had removed the upper garments that represented their identities, signifying that they had set aside their respective allegiances to save the world together. This was also out of respect for the tradition of performing the Starlet Fire Dragon Dance bare-chested.

The picture captured a moment when the four were dodging an explosion. Zhuo Yang led the way with a leap into the air, Qiao Huan followed upward by stepping on Ye Yiwei's thigh, and Bai Jike dropped low into a "scooping the moon from the sea" move.

Once this picture came out, nothing else needed saying. The comments section exploded:

"The four of them are so amazingly in sync!"

"That's not a dragon they're dancing with, it's my heart, wuwuwu."

"Tears of happiness are sliding from the corners of my mouth. Today we're all X4 fans."

Jiang Ji watched the public reaction and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

To protect the promotional video's visuals, he had deliberately pixelated all the backgrounds. Fortunately, the fans' attention hadn't wandered; they were focused on the performers' expressiveness.

Sure enough, the public could see how much effort the four had put in.

At the same time, though, he felt a wave of tension.

Having spent so long in the entertainment industry, he naturally understood that the bird that sticks its head out gets shot. Besides, X4 was already one of the groups in the eye of the storm.

Usually, when the response was this good, some discordant voices were bound to appear.

But none of them had expected that the one to jump out and make a spectacle this time would be a major music influencer with over a million followers.

This influencer had always been known for his sharp tongue and expertise. He had considerable insight into singing and dancing, stage performances, and even the twists and turns of the entertainment industry, and he had a large following of diehard fans.

Wash Ears V: Traditional culture really is getting more and more popular lately, but does a certain group have to look so ugly scrambling for a piece of it?

Wash Ears V: It's bad enough that what they performed at a certain base wasn't even orthodox Yingge Dance, but they just keep clinging to it for attention afterward.

Wash Ears V: Why did they only wear white shirts on the Azure Dragon Stage? Especially when some of the moves weren't even traditional Yingge Dance moves. Wasn't it just to show off their bodies and push the boundaries? The pictures they just posted are even more blatant. How did a certain someone manage to show half his waist while wearing an opera costume? Not to mention someone else's sideways flip and all four of them dancing with the dragon afterward. We know you have abs. Stop showing them off, thanks. [3 images]

The attached pictures were the ones Xiu Si's official Weibo had just posted. All four had been sweating during filming. In the first picture, the hem of Ye Yiwei's clothing had flown up; in the second, Zhuo Yang had exposed part of his body in the air; and the third... went without saying.

As it happened, Xiu Si all had amazing physiques, and with Wash Ears putting the pictures together like that, they looked extraordinarily... alluring.

Jiang Ji was speechless after reading it. This person was plainly hating for the sake of hating.

For their earlier performance at Qinglong, they had chosen white shirts to emphasize a "clean" style. As for showing their bodies in these pictures... that was just what their bodies looked like. What could they do about it?

But he also knew that some fans fell for exactly this kind of thing from Wash Ears.

The more popular a group was, the more people looked forward to dirt on them.

Wash Ears was pleased with himself after posting, feeling that he had found an excellent angle of attack.

He had expected the comments to be full of people joining in the insults as usual, but today seemed a little different...

"You didn't even watch Zhuo Yang's earlier stage analysis, did you? His moves weren't combined with boy group dancing. They were combined with the postures Azure Dragon Base trainees normally use in training!"

"Besides, Yingge Dance was a fusion of martial arts, dance, and performance to begin with. If I'm not mistaken, the first picture today is Jinghe Opera, right? That's an opera form centered on martial performance too, and neither has a fixed form."

"The guys were making big movements in the pictures posted today. Is it strange that some skin showed?"

Wash Ears: ?

Why were these fans a little different?

The fans: We learn so much folklore every day from following Xiu Si's Weibo. You think we can't understand this?

But words once spoken were like water once spilled; there was no taking them back.

Wash Ears could only insist that every one of Xiu Si's moves had been deliberately designed to create that sort of suggestive effect.

He even drew diagrams and analyzed the various problems with the movements in the pictures from a mechanics perspective.

After a flurry of work, he finally posted his new rebuttal. This time, Wash Ears was sure there couldn't be a problem.

Although he wasn't good at physics, an expert analysis like this was enough to fool people. Surely no one would say anything more?

However.

He opened the comments and was greeted by a blow to the head:

"Hahahaha, Wash Ears doesn't understand mechanics or dance but still insists on dragging them into this. How embarrassing!"

"A National Team expert stepped in personally. Go on, keep making a spectacle of yourself!"

"Quick, quick, quick, here's the portal! Let's see what you have to say now!"

Wash Ears was dumbfounded. He clicked the link left in the comments.

"Holy crap."

Those were the only words that flashed through his mind.

Dozens of Weibo posts, complete with pictures and text, appeared before his eyes.

The account was even verified as "Pine and Cypress Square Dance Troupe."

The first thing that met his eyes was:

Repost: Folk Customs Association - Cai Zheng: I choreographed the dance segment Xiu Si performed at Qinglong. Before I retired, I was one of the certified inheritors of Yingge Dance. You say what I choreographed isn't Yingge Dance? If you don't like it, choke on it.

Wash Ears: ???

This was a dimensionality-reduction strike!

But that wasn't all.

Repost: Folk Customs Association - Cai Zheng: There are countless Yingge Dance performance techniques, all closely connected to the different combinations of gongs and drums, rhythms, timbres, and the development and transitions of a piece!

There are countless combinations of large gongs, small cymbals, moon gongs, and so on. You could say that for every musical arrangement, there is a form of Yingge Dance!

Moreover, Yingge Dance has three tempos: slow, medium, and fast. The slow tempo is steady and can bring out a character's inner world; the medium tempo is vigorous, open, and imposing; and the fast tempo is fervent, with momentum like a rainbow. That's the segment young friend Zhuo was performing in that picture just now."

And those movements you mentioned are all variations on different mallet techniques and martial arts stances and footwork!

This is Tiger Mallet, this is Living Mallet, this is Half-Flower Mallet... aren't these all things they used in their performance?

Wash Ears was stunned.

Who was this Green Pines and Emerald Cypresses, to repost comments from an expert like this?

No, wait, why would an expert like this suddenly appear to hammer him?

Repost: Folk Customs Association - Bao'er: The two young friends Qiao and Ye performed an adapted excerpt from 《Wutai Brothers Reunion》 in Jinghe Opera, an opera form known for its martial scenes. The movement just now evolved from Ao Junma, and both of them executed it extremely well.

Repost: Folk Customs Association - Wang Peng: The dragon dance came from the Starlet Fire Dragon Dance. There's a great deal of knowledge involved in it, and the four of them performed beyond our expectations. This particular movement...

After that, the experts used various accompanying pictures to break down Xiu Si's movements completely, so that everyone reading the posts could understand what each movement had evolved from.

Finally, Uncle Yang used his square dance troupe's official Weibo account to offer Xiu Si high praise.

Green Pines and Emerald Cypresses: For a performance lasting just one short minute, they trained without sleep or complaint, afraid of embarrassing one another. If that isn't what you call an idol, what is?

Moreover, folk art is a niche interest in today's entertainment world. Whether it's many netizens simply imitating it or innovating, we should welcome it. Only by bringing folklore into the public eye and letting a hundred flowers bloom can it be given new life!

By the time Wash Ears finished reading, he felt like he'd ceased to exist.

The comments section was filled with cheers.

"My god, look how much thought went into Xiu Si's performance!"

"So the members of the Green Pines and Emerald Cypresses Square Dance Troupe are all former National Team folklore experts?"

"Hahahaha, look at the teachers' pictures. Even though they're all close-ups of body parts, judging by the skin tones and lines, they should be Xiu Si! That means they're with the teachers right now!"

"And it was choreographed for them by an expert. How can anyone call that suggestive?"

"What the expert said at the end was so good! Of course a folk art can't stay stuck in its old ways. You have to make the pie bigger before you can carry it forward and make it flourish!"

"Hiss... am I the only one who noticed Xiu Si's background? How can even retired Folk Customs Association experts with National Team backgrounds speak up for them? That's incredible!"

On set.

Xiu Si had finally made it through all the explosions and successfully finished filming.

After putting down the Giant Dragon, the four were drenched in sweat and utterly exhausted.

Saylor, meanwhile, fired off a nonstop stream of extravagant praise in a mix of Chinese and English, making all four of them embarrassed.

A trace of worry flashed through Qiao Huan's mind. He had been so focused on probing Zhuo Yang during the dragon dance. How had Saylor not noticed at all, and why was he still praising their dancing so wildly?

Ye Yiwei naturally had the same concern. The two looked at each other for a moment, then turned toward the uncles and aunties from the Folk Customs Association.

After all, Saylor was a foreigner, so it was normal for him to find Chinese traditional culture novel. The uncles and aunties of Green Pines and Emerald Cypresses were the real experts in the field...

???

What were the experts all doing now?

In the dark filming area, a group of retired elders had their faces lit up by their little phone screens, their fingers flying.

They were muttering to themselves too. Their earlier kindly air had vanished completely, and they seemed very angry.

The scene looked... utterly bizarre.

"Were they bored out of their minds by our performance?" Ye Yiwei suddenly lost confidence in himself. "Why have they all started playing on their phones?"

Qiao Huan nodded too. "Maybe we didn't perform well..."

But even if the two of them had looked a little bad, surely they had given Zhuo Yang enough of a highlight moment?

Zhuo Yang comforted them. "Don't lose heart. If the debut song doesn't work out, there's still what comes after..."

Even if he hadn't let his brothers shine properly this time, there was still a next time.

Xiao Bai had already dissed each of his three older brothers in turn in his mind.

And after all that, they'd actually thought he wasn't working hard just now?

He had fallen to the back of the group, and keeping up with the pace had nearly exhausted him. Even now, his heart rate still hadn't dropped below 180!

"Forget it. Let's go shower." Zhuo Yang wiped away his sweat. Seeing that the uncles and aunties were ignoring him, he assumed they were utterly disappointed in them.

"Okay..."

While Xiu Si were lathering up in the showers, the uproar online was still going strong.

Wash Ears had been hammered again and again by the big shots and was nearly knocked senseless.

But he still decided to make one last desperate stand.

Wash Ears V: Since Xiu Si have that kind of background and ability, why aren't they continuing to promote folk culture instead of making a promotional song for a sci-fi movie? Isn't that just riding on its popularity?

The comment section fell silent.

Although what Wash Ears had said earlier was full of holes, this point made some sense.

Yeah, why not?

Green Pines and Emerald Cypresses hadn't spoken up again either, so the commenters assumed they weren't going to respond to a topic like this.

But just then... another big shot suddenly @mentioned Wash Ears.

Cheers Entertainment: @Wash Ears, who said making a sci-fi promotional song meant they weren't promoting traditional culture? @Ye Yiwei and @Qiao Huan personally wrote the lyrics and composed the music, @Bai Jike wrote the rap lyrics and flow himself, and @Zhuo Yang choreographed the dance.

The promotional song doesn't just use electronic music and other kinds of soundtracks commonly heard in sci-fi movies; it also incorporates elements of Jinghe Opera, Lao Qiang, Yingge Dance, and Starlet Fire Dragon Dance! These are all obscure performance arts with fewer than a hundred inheritors each. They haven't forgotten traditional culture even in a promotional song for a sci-fi movie. @Wash Ears, their passion and courage to take on this challenge should put you to shame!

For a moment, the commenters didn't quite dare charge in. Only after reading the post several times did they understand:

"So the pictures posted today were from the promotional song shoot! Looking closely, their outfits all have sci-fi elements, and so does that dragon!"

"Ahhhhh, that's Xiu Si for you, promoting culture alongside the National Team!"

"Holy crap, Xiu Si have personal Weibo accounts? Why are their names all so weird? No wonder I couldn't find them!"

"Does Wash Ears' face hurt? He's probably been slapped numb by now! They're such hidden treasures!"

"I can't wait for the 《Phantom River》 promotional song! Hurry, hurry!"

Holy crap.

Wash Ears was done for.

He had taken money from AUV and Radiance Entertainment to put down Xiu Si and the promotional song for 《Phantom River》.

But now, the hashtags #Phantom River promotional song# and #Can sci-fi movies and traditional culture be combined?# had shot straight to the top of the entertainment trending chart!

What was even worse, Wash Ears' Weibo account had been muted by the platform, leaving him no chance to drop to his knees and apologize.

Everything went dark before Wash Ears' eyes.

Looking at the flood of mockery in his DMs and his dangerously low bank balance, only a few words flashed through his mind—

It's over.

It's all over.

Meanwhile, Zhuo Yang and Bai Jike finished washing first and came out of the showers.

Seeing this, Ye Yiwei hurried over to Qiao Huan. "Do you think Zhuo Yang is normal?"

"I don't know either." Qiao Huan shook his head.

This time, he genuinely wasn't sure how to judge.

Zhuo Yang's reaction speed and protective instincts were unbelievably strong. When Zhuo Yang had used the dragon head to pull him clear of the blast, there had been a few moments when Qiao Huan had felt as though he were back in training, being protected by his experienced captain.

Not to mention Zhuo Yang's physical condition and the way he spoke and carried himself.

"Can someone who came out of a martial arts school really be that good?" Ye Yiwei was puzzled too. "It all seems reasonable, but there's always something a little unreasonable about it."

"Yeah." Qiao Huan took out his phone and sent Qiao Tang a message. "I'll have my contact look into him for us."

Information that ran any deeper wasn't something they could uncover just by spending every day at Zhuo Yang's side.

After spending so much time with him, Qiao Huan had come to feel that although Zhuo Yang looked carefree, he always seemed to be hiding something.

Especially the way he looked at them... it really wasn't quite right.

As the saying went, anyone who could keep getting up at five thirty every morning to exercise and maintain a body fat percentage below ten percent year-round was bound to be extraordinary.

But then Qiao Huan thought: among the four of them, there were already two undercover agents, not to mention Xiao Bai, who knew his way around computers. If Zhuo Yang was one too...

That would be utterly ridiculous!

Qiao Tang's reply came quickly:

Qiao Tang: Oh-ho?! My little shell is actually interested in someone from his own cohort? You're finally thinking about something besides your mission? See, I was right to send you to find the other undercover agent, wasn't I? Isn't it wonderful how you and Xiao Ye are advancing shoulder to shoulder now? I have to say, your captain really is...

Qiao Huan turned off his phone without even finishing the message.

He was starting to regret it.

Ye Yiwei asked, "How did it go? What did your contact say? I saw him send you a really long reply."

With the attitude of a calf protecting its old man, Qiao Huan said, "He said he's working on it..."

"Did he need that many words to say that? How about I ask my contact to look into it too?"

"No need."

Qiao Huan firmly believed that although his father didn't seem reliable, he ought to be good at digging up information.

Fortunately, Zhuo Yang's voice came from outside the door, keeping Ye Yiwei from probing any further.

"Are you two all right?" Zhuo Yang sounded full of concern. "Why have you been washing for so long? Were you hurt just now? Or is it Mr. Ye's health..."

Ye Yiwei's face immediately darkened.

"We'll be right out." Qiao Huan put down his phone and answered, "We're fine."

"Okay..." Zhuo Yang relaxed. "Uncle Yang wants us to come over."

"Got it."

Just like that, whether or not to investigate Zhuo Yang's identity suddenly seemed far less important.

Uncle Yang wanted to see them... was he going to hold them accountable?

Those big shots had started playing on their phones halfway through their performance. Just how bored must they have been?

Qiao Huan and Ye Yiwei immediately began discussing how they should drop to their knees and apologize to the retired big shots from the Folk Customs Association.

"I shouldn't have tried to test Zhuo Yang while we were working," said Ye Yiwei, the person responsible, full of regret. "I might have guessed wrong, and if I've held back Zhuo Yang and Xiao Bai's careers, the loss won't be worth the gain."

"Right. Whatever the uncles and aunties say later, we'll take all the blame ourselves," Qiao Huan urged as they walked. "I know you're especially afraid of being misunderstood, Yiwei, but this time it's for our teammates, so we have to..."

?

The two of them had just walked back onto the set when they both stopped in their tracks.

Why... was Saylor, the blond, blue-eyed foreigner, doing a square dance with the uncles and aunties?!

How was the atmosphere here so peaceful?!